Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I know a lot of you are moms out there in blogland, so maybe perhaps some of you are going through with your 5 year olds, what I am going through with my nearly 31- year old husband...

They WILL NOT EAT VEGETABLES.

Belive it or not, this harmless and delicious looking burger up there (on a ciabatta roll, no less) contains no fewer than 4 vegetables.

This is very much a "use what you have" dish, but the basics are:

1lb ground turkey meat

( Makes about 4 REALLY good size burgers)

1 egg

This binds all the ingredients together when cooked

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

(sometimes I use already-cooked brown rice)

Basically this sucks up any additional liquid to keep the burgers from falling apart or being too wet.

Cheese of Choice (optional)

Last night's veggies were:

1 carrot (grated)

1 smaller zucchini (grated)

1/2 small onion (finely chopped)

handful of parsley (finely chopped)

5 springs of thyme

1 cup uncooked spinach (you cook this in the microwave for about 90 seconds and then wring out any excess water)

Here's what ya do: 1. Preheat grill or grill pan

2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the meat, breadcrumbs and egg.

Add salt and pepper to taste (and any other seasonings you want)

3. Add the turkey meat and egg and combine, being careful not to over stir

4. Add the breadcrumbs a couple of tablespoons at a time. You may not need all of it. Basically you just want the mixture so it is very moist, not wet, and sticks together when you clump it into a ball. Adding too much starch will make your burgers dry. No bueno.

5. If you are adding cheese, form the patties around the cheese, pushing it into the center. Hence, the "inside out" cheeseburger. As the burger cooks the cheese will melt and give the burger a whole other level of yummy-ness. Gouda, Mozzarella, Cheddar, Pepper Jack and even goat cheese would be pretty fantastic for this.

6. Place on the grill for about 10 minutes on each side.

I like this method because when you see the cheese starting to melt out, you know you didn't screw it up and they'll be cooked through.

I like to grill my buns (that's what she said)

Its a super healthy, nutrition-in a dish. Add in a ciabatta roll and some smoked gouda or goat cheese, you've got yourself a pretty grown-up meal, friend!

What do you think? Anyone gonna give this a shot with the veggie-resistant people in their lives?

Monday, June 13, 2011

This weekend I popped up to my old stomping ground, Washington, D.C. to surprise my bestie for her Law School Graduation weekend! Eee! I love a good surprise! Anyhoo, I was super pumped that the next day we found ourselves on our way out to Luckett's, VA to visit Luckett's Antique Market! I've heard read its praises sung by loads of people across the interwebs, so here are some of my favorite "inspiration" shots from Lucketts

You cant tell from this picture but this table has lovely finials and industrial cubbies filled with goodies like lavender soap and knobs.

Paris baskets! Do I smell a DIY?

Digging industrial/library. Can't ya tell?

This would be so lovely for a greenhouse/terrarium

This was definitely one of the highlights, being able to visit Miss Mustard Seed's pavilion and see her AWESOME work up close! Unfortunately there was a gigantic wasp that was also visiting MMS, so I high-tailed it outta there. Freakin' hate bees.

Knobs!

I love this vignette. Its so old-timey and rustic and industrial

Wouldn't these pallets be awesome as a coffee table?

Probably one of my more favorite pictures- old cosmetic tin on a vintage mirrored tray

I have an addiction to suitcases

That pretty much summarizes my day at Lucketts! Thanks to the girls for an awesome weekend, and I'll have to come back up when I can actually BUY something there!!!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Let me just say that I lurve hot glue. This was a delightful experiment in, well, experimenting- and it turned out great! I often come across things that look complex, but I'm like "you know, I bet I could make that with some hot glue" and every once and a while...I am correct. Sweet, Sweet Success.

This project wasn't exactly free for me, since I had to buy the driftwood for $24(that includes shipping) bucks from, from this lovely chap in the UK from Etsy. But you could easily make this using things from your yard/beach/ neighbor's yard.

The process was pretty easy. I used all the tallest sticks first and spaced them around the jar (which I already had on hand), and then layered the next tallest, ect... around to create a layered effect.

My conversations throughout the night went a little something like this:

Friend: "What are you up to"

Me: "Just gluing driftwood to an apothacary jar"

Friend: "..."

Me: " Hey, did you know that vodka, limeade and club soda are DELICIOUS?!"

(seriously, they are. By the way, honey, if you are reading this, we're out of Limeade. )

About Me

I am a compulsive rummager. I thrift, dig, stare at and re purpose pieces to give them new life and create a style that's 100% mine. Who knows what kind of stuff I'm up to, but I hope you like it.
I can be found at salvage yards, goodwill and Bloomies. So...figure that one out, if you can.
Thanks for stopping by and Stay classy!